Animal protein supply: five things that decide what a buyer can use

Global animal protein supply is large and still growing. Global feed production reached about 1.44 billion tonnes in 2025, and Asia made up roughly 559 million tonnes (Alltech, via MANTA Industry Report 2026-2030). In 2024, marine ingredients added around 5.5 million tonnes of fishmeal and 1.3 million tonnes of fish oil. A growing share of this now comes from processing by-products (IFFO).

A large total says little about what one buyer can use. A feed mill can sit in a market full of supply and still spend weeks looking for a lot that fits its recipe, is allowed into the destination country and arrives in good condition. Total volume is not the reason. Five things decide whether a lot works for a specific buyer.

Five things that shape animal protein supply

1. Plant. The company named on a shipping document is not always the factory that made the material. That name tells you who to pay, not who made the goods. Product from different plants under the same brand can differ in quality and process. If you buy again and again, it is usually more reliable to decide by the producing plant.

2. Species. Animal protein is a group of products, not one product. Poultry meal, meat and bone meal, hydrolysed feather meal, blood products and marine meals differ in three ways: how well animals digest them, how regulators treat them, and where they fit (livestock feed, aqua feed or pet food). The exact species content changes both the feeding value and the documents you need.

3. Approval. A product only counts for a buyer if the destination market allows it. Approval depends on the country, the plant and the species. It can change on its own, apart from price or availability. When it changes, an origin that looked plentiful can stop being an option for that market.

4. Specification. Ash, digestibility, freshness and traceability decide whether a poultry meal suits shrimp and marine fish diets, or whether a material is good enough for pet food. The headline protein figure does not show these. Two lots quoted at the same protein level can behave very differently.

5. Timing. Marine supply moves with the Peruvian fishing season and ocean conditions. Rendered supply follows the number of animals slaughtered. Animal fats are pulled toward biofuel demand, and grain prices change how much plant protein replaces animal protein. A lot that is easy to buy in a loose market is often the one you cannot get when supply tightens. So buying some volume ahead is part of the decision, not a separate step.

Why animal protein supply stays uneven in 2026 to 2030

Asia is expected to drive most of the growth in feed and aqua feed demand for the rest of the decade (OECD-FAO; Alltech). Meanwhile, import rules are being rewritten, and animal-disease events keep changing which origins can serve which markets. Marine output also stays uneven: IFFO members reported fishmeal production in the first quarter of 2026 that was about 28% lower than a year earlier (IFFO, 2026). In our view, the buyers and suppliers who cope best work at the level of plant, species, approval, specification and timing, not at the level of a single spot price.

MANTA keeps these five points in mind when it buys and sells animal proteins and feed-related ingredients, from the first request to documents and shipment. We also use them when we brief the buyers and suppliers we work with.

If you are a buyer who needs steady supply, request a quote. If you are a producer who wants to reach buyers in the right markets, contact the Trading Desk.

The volume figures come from the sources. The reading of what they mean for 2026 to 2030 is MANTA’s view. It is not investment, legal or trade advice.

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